The Light Of Love
by angel-death-dealer
Summary: Postrescue. Follows Jack and Kate through their relationship, marriage, and after that. Lots of fluff, and humourous wedding speeches a must!
1. Proposal

Three months had passed, and things could hardly be better for the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 since their rescue. Every single one of them had been given enough compensation from the company after having lived five years on that island, and they had spent it well. Sawyer had brought several sports cars which had also garaunteed him the attention of several beautiful ladies; Sayid and Shannon had married on the island only days after they had been rescued; Michael and Walt headed back to L.A straight from Sydney; Charlie and Claire had no plans to marry, but with their own daughter, Charlotte, that had been born on the island shorly before the resuce they were clearly planning to stay together for a while. And Jack...Well, Jack got his girl.

He and Kate had been together for the whole three months. Having spent three years on the island together as well, having spent a full two years in the obvious flirting of their denied relationship, they were closer than ever. With the money it gave them in compensation, they had a house in Sydney, as well as a second, smaller home, in Venice, where they inteded to go when they got sick of the bustle of the Australian city. When shopping for it, Kate had fallen in love with it straight away, which was enough for Jack; it sat upon a hill which overlooked the whole city, and had a balcony which was large enough to rival the terrace out the back. The open fireplace in the living room was working, and after half an hour of looking around, they had brought it.

It was their first time over at the house, seeing as they fancied a break away from the city. Venice, although being a city in itself, had a special charm to them both that neither could explain nor deny. Standing at the edge of the terrace that led off the bedroom, Kate looked down at the city before them. The sun was just rising, creating a beautiful orange glow over the city. She smiled, tugging the shirt closer around her to fight off the early morning chill coming in through the open window.

"Good morning." Jack muttered, wrapping his arms around her.

She noticed that he wasn't wearing anything on his chest, and had either come over half way through dressing or just simply stopped at his trousers. "Where's your shirt?" She asked him curiously.

"I don't know." He replied playfully. "I think its the one you're wearing."

She laughed, and leaned back against him, still staring out at the scenery. "It's beautiful isn't it." She observed.

"Yeah you are." He said quietly, as from where he was standing besider her he was speaking directly to her ear.

She felt like blushing, but she had grown used to comments like that from Jack now. He was as devoted to her as he was to saving peoples lives, which was saying a lot. Everyone on the island had expected it, though it was strange that Jack had spent so little money on luxuries for himself, but was always bringing home gifts for Kate, spoiling her with embarassing displays of flowers sent to her in public places, usually at work. She worked in a local store not too far from their Sydney home with a few girls who were more than friendly enough to her. It wasn't for the money, but instead she got a job to keep herself occupied and stop her turning into a couch potato. Jack never brough her jewellery though, seeing as she never wore any.

"I was talking about the city." She told him.

"I wasn't." He whispered lovingly.

She turned around and kissed him, her arms winding around his neck. Jack kept one arm on her waist, and the other snaked up her back and rested his fingers on the back of his neck. Pulling away from kisses like this one was always hard for them both; but Kate pulled away after a few minutes because she knew that there were people walking around down below their house, and she didn't want to give the locals too much of a show. Jack seemingly had the same idea.

"Kate," Jack muttered.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I-uh.."

Nervous Jack was a side to him she usually enjoyed seeing. It was a playful sight to her that usually on the island ended up in them disapparing for hours on end. This time was different however. His eyes were shifting everywhere except her, and everytime he met her gaze, he looked away immediately. Kate frowned. What was going on? She put a hand on his cheek, and moved his face so he was looking at her again. "Jack?" She asked him again. "What's wrong?"

When she put her hand over his face, he couldn't help but notice how soft her skin was. "Kate, I want to ask you something." He told her, she could feel him slightly moving against her hand, trying to look away but forcing himself to focus on her.

"Ok." She said, slightly confused. "Ask away."

"Well, I-, uh, I, um."

Kate smiled. "Jack, what are you going on about?" She said with a small laugh.

"Hey," He said with a nervous laugh. "Don't laugh at me, I've been psyching myself up for days to do this. And now I can't remember what I was going to say, so I have to improvise."

Kate started to feel anxious, wondering if what he was going to ask her was the same thing that she had thought of when he had said that. "Ok," She replied simply.

"Right, here goes." He started. _Come on Jack...deep breath...you can do this...1...2...3...4...5... _"Kate, I love you." He waited a moment, watching her smile. It was the first time that he had seriously said that he loved her, and from the happy look on her face, he wondered whether he should just leave it there. _No, thats just being stupid. _She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Wait, I'm still going." He said with a smile. "I love you." He repeated. "So much that I when I'm not with you, I can't stop thinking about you, and when I am with you, you're the only thing I see and hear. And I like it. You're the only person I want to think about, and when we're together, every second is fantastic. I want to spend every minute I have with you, Kate. I love you." Now that he had said it once, he couldn't stop saying it. "Now, I know that you don't wear much jewellery, and I know that when it does come to sparkly things, I don't have the best taste, but I was wondering if you might wear this."

He opened his hand, revealing a diamond and pink sapphire cluster ring. She looked down it with wide eyes, she knew that pink sapphires were both hard to come by and extremely expensive. "Jack, it's beautiful." She whispered with shining eyes.

"Wait, this isn't right. I have to do this properly." He said, almost to himself. He closed his hand again, shielding the ring frome veiw. Taking a deep breath, Jack bend down to the floor, getting on one knee. Kate gasped quietly, knowing what he was doing. "Kate, I love you more than I can say. Will you marry me?"

Jack watched Kate as she wiped underneath her eye. He kept a hopeful expression on his face, but was inwardly worried. _Oh god I've made her cry, that can't be good. _But she was still smiling, and wasted no time at all before getting on her own knees and flinging her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I love you too, Jack." She said happily. "Of course I'll marry you."

They both laughed, and Jack put the ring on her finger. She looked down at it. "And you think you don't have taste?" She asked. "It's beautiful." She kissed him again, this time, she didn't worry about the onlookers who may have a veiw of them, as they were sheilded by the balcony wall.

"Does this mean I can have my shirt back?" Jack asked hopefully.

"No, it means I get to keep it." She replied playfully. "You'll have to get another one."

Jack laughed, and then his face turned completely serious with a small frown as he remembered, "Sawyer owes me a hundred bucks." He said thoughtfully.

"Really?" Kate inquired.

"Yeah. When I told him a few weeks back that I was going to propse to you, he bet me a hundred bucks that I wouldn't go through with it."

Kate laughed. "So everyone knew about this?"

"Basically." Jack revealed. "I hope you know that everyone thinks I'm insane now." He pointed out.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." She told him, and kissed him again.


	2. Jitters

"So this is it." Sawyer said with a sigh. "The end of an era."

"Looks like we're loosing our leader." Sayid observed.

"Jack can't do it any more." Charlie agreed. "Now he's - I can't even say it." He said defeated. "It's too serious for us."

Jack stopped adjusting his tie and grinned at his reflection. He looked at them in the mirror. "Guys, I'm not going to the moon, I'm getting married." He told them.

That day had finally come. It was Christmas Eve, as both Jack and Kate decided that Christmas was coming sooner than Valentines day, so they wanted to get married then. As it was Christmas, Jack had got into the spirit by not wearing a white shirt, but instead wearing a red one with his black tux. When getting fitted for a suit, he felt more like he was going to a funeral when it came to the shirt being white, so he had decided to add a little colour to the outfit, and he had to say, he looked a bit more than presentable. It was only an hour away now, and the four men were upstairs, above the church in a chamber that overlooked the seats.

Kate had wanted a church wedding, but it was mainly going to be friends there. Of course, her mother couldn't be there, seeing as she had passed away shortly after the plane crash, but she had gotten back in touch with her step-father, Sam Austen, and he was going to walk her down the aisle. It was the other way around with Jack; his mother was coming but not his father. His two sisters and other relatives were coming, but for Kate, there were only a few relatives, such as her father, her younger brother Luke, and a few cousins, but other than that she was just inviting friends. Personally, he didn't mind whether half the world turned up or if there were only two other people, as long as he was there, and Kate was there, and there was someone to marry them, he didn't mind.

"You'll never be the same again." Sawyer assured him. "Marriage changes a man. It's all about the three rings."

"What three rings?" Jack asked.

"The engagement ring." Sayid began.

"The wedding ring." Charlie continued.

"And the sufferring." Sawyer ended.

Jack laughed. "Come on, guys, this is Kate." He reminded them, and then whispered to himself. "If she hasn't run for the hills."

The rest of the men laughed. The pre-wedding jitters, which Jack had spent the past two weeks assuring them that he didn't have, had officially begun. Unlike other couples though, that hadn't begun with the money spent on the dress. They had plenty of cash now. Unfortunately, Jack hadn't been able to see the dress yet.

"Jack, you've had months to panick." Charlie said, "And you wait an hour until it starts. Nice."

"Well," Jack reasoned. "What if she goes back into her 'I never want to see you again' phase?"

"I might not be one on romance as much as sex," Sawyer started, "But I think that proposing infront of a sunrise with a pink sapphire ring which I know for a fact cost you $12,000, and the amount of flowers and 'lovely little romantic suprises' as she calls them, would make her go back into that phase."

Jack continued staring at his reflection. "Ok, you may have a point there."

"I can't believe the person who spent years saving peoples lives on a deserted island being chased by monsters and mad men is nervous." Charlie laughed.

"Charlie, I can't wait until you get married and I can taunt you as well." Jack said, turning to face them.

"You think it's bad now?" Sayid asked Charlie. "Just wait until Kate gives gets pregnant. We'll be stuck in a corridor with him begging him to sit down.

Jack frowned at him. "What?"

Sawyer laughed. "It's only a matter of time until there's a mini Doc running around. We ain't stupid."

"Well, I'm not gonna be pacing in a corridor." Jack assured them. "When the time comes, I'll be right at Kate's side." He said proudly.

He got a few sarcastic 'Aw's from the boys, and held up his arms. "Ok, how do I look?" He asked.

He got a thumbs up from them all, and sighed. "Now, we've just gotta wait for Kate."

Sawyer frowned. "Just out of interest, Doc. But, who'd Freckles pick for bridesmaids in the end?"

"Um...Sun, Shannon, Claire's being maid of honour, and Libby."

"Well thats that problem solved." Charlie said.

"The best man decision didn't go as smoothly." Sawyer reminded them.

"Come on guys, you're all my best men." He said. "I'll need all three of you in case I forget what I'm going to say up there."

This wasn't a joke, as some people thought it might be. When he was talking to anyone and saw Kate over their shoulder, he had a funny habit of forgetting what he was saying and trailing off into nothing. It happened every time, garaunteed, and was the guys main source of amusement to arrange for Kate to 'coincidently' walk in on where they were drinking just to try and keep Jack distracted from her - but it never worked. He found it hard to sit still for five minutes once he knew that she was in the room.

"You've written your own vows then?" Sayid asked.

"In a way." Jack said awkwardly.

"What does that mean?" Charlie asked.

"It means that he's going to stand up there and improvise because he didn't have a clue what to write down." Sawyer explained.

"Yeah, thats probably about right." Jack agreed.

"Unbelievable." Charlie said, shaking his head.

"Well whenever I wrote something down it sounded corny and the bits that were good I knew I'd never remember, so I'm hoping that the words will come to me when I'm up there." He explained.

In her room at home, Kate was sitting with her father and Claire, waiting for their car to arrive, having her own pre-marital jitters.

"What if he doesn't turn up?" She said frantically.

"He'll already be there." Sam assured her.

"And he's probably just as nervous as you." Claire added.

"You think so?" Kate asked, getting up and pacing again.

"I know so, now sit down!" Claire said with a small laugh.

Kate ignored her. "What if I do something stupid and trip?" She asked. "Or forget my vows?"

"You won't forget your vows." Claire assured her. "It would be easier to make them up on the spot anyway."

"It would?" Both Sam and Kate asked together.

"Of course, that way, the words come naturally and from the heart." Claire explained.

Kate smiled. "Good idea." She said, trying to forget everything she had prepared to say.

"And stop worrying, angel, you look beautiful." Sam said softly.

Kate stopped at his comment and looked in the mirror again. Althought white was a traditional colour for getting married, she had chosen to wear red, seeing as it was Christmas Eve. The dress reached down to the floor, concealing the red strapping sandals that she had spent hours choosing. It was a bustier at the top, and she had a small, cut of desinged jacket that she was wearing because of the cold, but was decorated in the same diamonte fashion as the dress itself. The patterns of jewels ran along the dress's skirt hem, and above at the top of the bustier, along with the edges of the sleeves of the jacket. Around her neck was a delicate but elegant diamond necklace, which matched the diamonte on the dress and jacket, along with delicate matching earrings. Shannon had twisted her hair up into an elegant knot on the back of her head, and the five women had spent an entire day shopping for the silver tiara that was placed upon her shining brown hair. She had never seen herself look so wonderful, so beautiful, but there she was, in the dress of her dreams, an hour away from marrying the man she loved.

"There's the car." Claire said, hearing the honk of the horn outside the window. "You ready?" She asked.

Kate spent another moment looking into the mirror, wishing that her mother was there to see her in this dress, and there to walk her down the aisle like he should be, before turning away from the glass and taking her fathers arm. "Absolutely."


	3. Ceremony

Jack was stood at the front of the church now, infront of the mass of people. Panic was still seeping through him, even though he had been assured by his elder sister, Laura, that Kate was now on her way with Sam and the women. Anxious, he kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other, still trying to figure out what to say in terms of vows. It was proving as hard as it had been the night before, and the night before that, and the night before that, and the week before that. The only reasonable thing he could think of was 'I love you'.

Sawyer nudged his shoulder. "You gonna calm down now, or am I gonna have to knock you out?" He asked.

Jack hesitated for a moment, but the shook his head. "No, I can't."

"God you're like a kid on Christmas Eve wanting presents." Charlie muttered under his breath.

"First of all," Jack pointed out. "It _is _Christmas Eve. Second of all, there's nothing wrong with acting like a kid. Third of all, my present is on her way over here in a car right now."

Defeated, Charlie shook his head again. "You're nuts." He said.

A few more minutes passed, and Jack began to wonder where she was. _It's just traffic, _he told himself, _just traffic, just traffic, she'll be here, it's just traffic_. A few more minutes passed, and Laura's cell phone started ringing. Jack jumped at the sound, and started at his sister desperately while she spoke.

"Yeah...Alright, I'll tell him...Sure, that's fine,...Ok see you soon." She hung up and looked at her brother. "The car's broken down." She told him, Jack looked like he was about to say something, but she held her hand up to stop him, "But, it was just around the corner from the house, so they're going back for her dad's car." Laura told him.

Jack sighed. Then turned to Sayid. "Left, you got the rings?" He asked frantically.

"For the fifteenth time - YES!" He assured Jack.

"Just-"

"Just checking, I know." Sayid said with a smile.

Jack flashed him a smile before beginning to bit down on the skin surrounding his thumb nail. It was nearly red raw now, and Laura sighed heavily, turning to her eight year old son, and Claire's son Aaron, now five, who were being page boys, standing proudly beside the other men. "Tommy, Aaron, give Jack a hug, stop him worrying." She instructed.

Tommy and Aaron went over and hugged Jack, who bent down to recieve his hug. Ruffling his nephews red hair, and Aaron's blonde curls, Jack stood up fully. "Where's Meagan?" He asked Laura.

"With Kate. She's bridesmaid too, remember?" Laura told him.

"Oh yeah." Jack said stupidly. He turned to his youngest sister, Hannah, who was only seventeen, but had her three month old daughter balanced on her knee. "Shame Ellie's not old enough to walk down the aisle as well." Jack laughed. Hannah smiled.

"Don't worry, she's old enough to dance with her uncle at the party." She told him.

A few minutes passed with light conversation, but just as the panick returned to Jack, music started playing and the doors at the back of the church opened. Jack's head whipped up from where he was looking at his neice playing with the sleeve of Hannah's dress, and to where his soon-to-be-wife was walking up the aisle - towards him.

When he saw how amazing she looked with her broad smile when she locked eyes with him, he could hardly believe that she was about to marry him. She herself could hardley believe that she was finally getting to walk up the aisle with Jack standing at the end of it. Of course, with her arm lopped through her fathers and Claire along with the other bridesmaids, she missed her mother being there with her, but was glad that everyone else could be there. It seemed to take forever to walk up between the rows of people, and she felt like running up to him, whilst Jack's feet were rooted firmly to the spot.

After what seemed like an age, she was standing before him. Claire took the flowers she was holding, and her father leaned to talk in her ear. "He makes you smile like no one else could," he told her, "I am happy to hand you over to him." Taking her hand, he placed it in Jack's who gripped it tightly, grinning at her.

The priest, convientiently Mr Eko from the island, went through various passages from the bible, but neither of them heard. Eventually, though, came the time for the vows. Jack went first, and took a deep breath before giving Kate's hands a reassuring squeeze. Amazingly, the words just came to him.

"Kate, I was suprised how hard it was to come up with something to say to you right now besides telling you that I love you. Now that you're here though, I can't think of anything _not _to say, and it feels like I can't get the words out quickly enough to tell you. A lot of things happened to bring us together, some good, some not so good, but all that matters to me is that we are together. I want to tell you so many things; that no matter what happens, I'll always be there; I'll pick you up when you fall, hold your hands when you're stessed out, make you feel safe and comfortable. I want to be there for every smile, every tear and every frustration you have. I know that I can't be there every single second like I want to be, but when I am with you, I want to make you happy. I get the best feeling in the world when you smile at me or just speak to me, because I know that for one second, you were thinking about me. I love you much that I don't want to go to sleep at night, because suddenly my life is better than my dreams. Someone told me once that life is a fairytale, you just have to get past the evil stepmother part to find your happy ending. I've found my happy ending, here, with you, Kate, but it doesn't feel like an ending. It feels like a beginning, a new beginning, _our _beginning. I just want you to know that whatever happens in the future, nothing will ever stop me loving you, because I've never loved someone like I love you; I want you to know that for as long as I'm here, you'll never be alone, because my love is too strong to fade."

When Jack finished, he could see the tears glistening in Kate's eyes from the beauty of his words. It was a lot easier than he thought. The words didn't even register in his mind before he had said them. She had never known him to put so many of his feelings into words. Kate went next, still smiling incredibly, and holding into his hands.

"God, what can I say that you haven't?" She asked. "You've changed my life so much, and now everything is finally good. When I think of you, of your smile, it might sound silly, but I get butterflies in my stomach. When I go to bed and wake up in the morning beside you, I feel butterflies. To every first kiss of the day, and the words that you say to me, I feel the butterflies. You don't come across many people who give you that sort of feeling every day, you just don't; but somehow, I did, and I wouldn't change a second of it. When I'm with you, everything just seems to fall into place and make sense. The world around you gets hazy and the one thing I can focus on is you and me. It's like I've been given this amazing gift and I want to laugh and cry at the same time, because I'm so lucky to have you, but at first I was so scared that you'd go away. You're my whole world, Jack.When I was a little girl, I used to ask all the time was true love is, but I know now that it is something you have to experience to know what it is. I think that true love is when two people would give their life for the other, when they can understand each other so well they can almost read their thoughts, when they know that they would be there for that person no matter what. Some people search their whole lives for that one true, the one thing that will make their lives better. I found it, and it took me so many years to realize that what I was trying so hard to find was right in front of me all along. Being with you makes me feel as though I won't have to try so hard to be happy, that it will just happen, and it does. All you have to do is be near me, and I find myself smiling. I love you, Kate, and I'll always love you. I'm glad that I'm standing up here with you today."

Jack felt like he was welling up himself when Kate finished her vows, but, being a man, he forced it back down and simply kept smiling at her. He was resisting the temptation to lean forward and kiss her now, but Kate wanted the traditional wedding, so he would reserve his needs and let her have the traditional style. With the rings on their fingers, they moved onto the final part of the service.

"Do you, Jack Christian Shephard, take Katherine May Austen to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Eko asked, smiling at Jack.

Smiling at Kate and squeezing her hands, Jack grinned his cheeky grin. "I do."

"And do you, Katherine May Austen, take Jack Christian Shephard to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Eko asked Kate, smiling softly at her, almost proudly.

Smiling back at him, she nodded slightly. "I do."

"Then by the power invested in me, I now _finally _pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Not wasting a second, Jack pulled Kate towards him to kiss him. He didn't just kiss her once, he kissed her many times, smiling and talking in between, oblivious to the applauding audience. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that." Kate told him, with her arms wrapped around his neck.

Jack had one arm around her waist and the other resting tenderly on her cheek. "Me too." He agreed. He kissed her again. "God, I can't believe it, we're finally married. Look at you, you're beautiful. Oh my god, you look fantastic." He observed.

"You don't polish up too badly either." She said slyly. "Is that a new shirt you're wearing?"

"Yes," He said proudly, "And despite you're impatience with buttons, I'd rather like to keep these ones." They both laughed, "Shall we?" He asked, offering his arm to her, which she took and they started to walk back down the aisle, this time together.

After they had walked down the steps from the alter, Jack surprised Kate by lifting her up and carrying her the rest of the way down towards the door, earing a few cheers from their friends. When they got to the door of their car, the now working wedding car, Kate looked over Jack's shoulder and threw out her bouquet of flowers. Hearing all of the laughs that followed, they both turned to see Sawyer now holding Kate's flowers, which had mysteriously flown straight into his grasp when Kate had thrown them. Jack was laughing so much that he had to set Kate down on the floor so he could nearly double up laughing. Sawyer scolwed, if only for a moment, and hastily shoved the flowers into little Aaron's hands, who passed them to Charlie, who passed them to Claire, who held them specially in her hands as if she had been the first one to catch them. It was only that they realised the people were waiting to get the to reception party where there was a vast amount of food, that the newly married couple climbed into the wedding car together.


	4. Speeches

Upon entering the hotel where the wedding party was taking place, Jack and Kate recieved another applause. They spent their time mingling, talking to friends and relatives who gave their congratulations and, like Sayid had predicted earlier, starting making plans for their children who hadn't even been concieved yet. Within an hour, they had aquirred about 15 different children, all of which being strangely mischeivous like Kate, but with Jack's level-headedness. Spotting her father over on a table in the corner after they had eaten, Kate brought Jack as they weaved through the crowd to go and see him. They sat down before him, and he smiled watching Jack rest his hand on Kate's hip lovingly.

"I am so happy for you." Sam said over the music in the background.

"Thank you for walking me up the ailse, Dad." Kate said, planting a kiss on his cheek. Even though Sam wasn't her blood father, she believed love to be thicker than blood.

"What are you giving me kisses for?" He asked. "You only have one man to kiss now." Jack grinned, liking this idea very much, and Kate laughed as well. Sam took Kate's hand. "I haven't seen you this happy since you were a tiny girl." He admitted, and Kate smiled. "You take care of her, Jack. Don't go breaking my daughter's heart." Kate smiled even more to hear Sam call her his daughter. Not his step-daughter, his daughter.

Jack kissed her temple, the closest part of her body he could reach. "I wouldn't dream of it." He assured Sam. "I'd never hurt her, I love her too much."

"That's what I like to hear." Sam said. "If you'll excuse me, though, there's a little girl over there who asked me to dance."

Looking in the direction of where Sam was indicating, they saw Meagen, Jack's neice, standing with her brother, Tommy. Jack and Kate watched as Sam danced with the six year old, and this gave them a few minutes alone whilst everyone was dancing to party songs. They kissed deeply, and rested their foreheads together when they parted, looking deep into each other's eyes.

Kate kissed him again, but their kiss was cut short by the music ending and the tinging sound of a fork against a wine glass. Looking over at the stage where the live band had been playing, they saw Charlie, Sawyer, and Sayid standing before the microphones.

"Ok, as we're all best men today," Charlie said, "We're all going to do the speech."

"But it appears we have lost the happy couple." Sayid said, "So if someone could please hunt them out and bring them back here, that would be lovely."

Not daring to argue with the applauding crowd, Jack and Kate emerged from their hidden table and went back to their own seats at their table, near the front. Smiling up at the three men, they listened as they began their well prepared speech. Charlie going first.

"Now, before I start, the hotel manger has asked me to request that, for reasons of health and safety, none of you get up on top of the chairs and tables during my standing ovation. I do have to say, Jack, you did a good job choosing our suits for today. I think we all look very smart. But I think I might have picked up your suit by mistake this morning - mine feels very loose around the waist, but very tight indeed around the arms and in the crotch. I should thank my fellow best men, Sawyer and Sayid, for doing what was expected of them. No more, no less. The main thing is they turned up. I guess it was too much to ask that Sawyer turn up sober. We've known Jack for nearly six years now. And it's hard to get away from someone on a deserted island, meaning we know him pretty well. So, for those of you on Kate's side who are just getting to know Jack, here is some advice: Never let him date a member of your family. When it came to writing this speech I wasn't short of material. Although most of it I've had to edit, throw away, burn or hand over to the police to help them with their enquiries. So this is what's left over.There are not many best men who can describe both the groom and the bride as true friends, but in that I'm lucky. It is an honour, albeit a most terrifying one, to have been asked to be the best man here today. But I do feel a certain relief to see the end of my duties in sight, as I'm totally certain that Jack will never have any need to ask me to be his best man again."

There was an applause as Charlie stood back and Sayid stepped forward to the microphone, in which he took an exaggurated and splendid bow.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. I would first like to thank you all for coming today and helping to make Jack and Kate's wedding such a memorable and special occasion. Personally, I wish you'd all stayed at home and made my job less nerve wracking, as I am not one for crowds. From time to time, Jack does exhibit some outstanding qualities of character which have earned the respect of so many of us gathered here today. His sense of humour, his loyalty, and his generosity at the bar spring to mind. I'd like to take the opportunity to put to good use some advice that my own wife gave me. She said 'Sayid, whatever you do in your speech; don't forget to mention the bride!' And let's be honest, how could I? Kate, you look beautiful today and as Jack has already so eloquently explained in his vows, I know that you have made a great friend of mine the happiest man alive today. Before Sawyer takes the stage I'd like to say that you've been great friends to me over the five years I've known you and there are many things I admire about you both. Jack, for one, is the most level-headed man I know and, along with his generosity and determination, there is one other thing that stands out, and that is his appreciation of quality. And today, Jack, you've really surpassed yourself. You have found a lady of true quality in Kate. It's been an honour and a privilege to be your best man today."

Finally, the speech that the married couple were dreading the worst: Sawyer's. He had been extremely excited about his part of the speech, which included the toast, and this made them all wonder what he was up to.

"Ladies and gentlemen, believe it or not I've actually lost my speech. This usually only happens after eight pints of lager - which I'm pretty sure I went passed about three hours ago." He explained, and decided to wing it. "I feel that I've done my duty well so far today, all things considered. I delivered a sober groom to the church on time, and as I give this speech now, I don't _think_ I'm going to offend or embarrass anyone - apart from the bride and groom, of course. But after this, there still remains one final duty that I made up a little earlier. My final duty today will be to dance with the bride, after the groom and her Dad. Freckles, that will be my pleasure, but I'm afraid that I draw the line at dancing with Doc, Rock Star and Mohammed. Although they do look nice in those suits! What about the bride then, guys? Doesn't she look fantastic? I bet Jack's going to waste no time in getting that dress on the ground. Jack has scrubbed up quite nicely too – it's amazing what a flannel, a bar of soap and a shave will do for a man. But it's a bit rude of him to have copied my outfit eh! We have now reached that pivotal moment in the speech where I am meant – in good taste – to put the groom down. So, minus the good taste, I'll proceed.I've never thought of Jack as the type to go in for all that lovie-dovie romantic stuff, and I'm sure all his friends here today would describe him as a bit of a lad - a man's man. Well, I was shocked - _shocked _to learn that Jack has a habit of leaving things around the house for Freckles to find. No, not dirty socks or empty beer cans, but "I love you" notes. In fact, it's a habit that has spread beyond the house and to the car when, one frosty morning in winter, he scraped in the ice on Freckles's car windscreen, "I love you", so that she would find it in the morning on the way to work. Isn't that cute? But the one that really choked me up - the one that really made me blink back the tears - was the time that Freckles found the words "I love you" written on the last sheet of toilet paper in the bathroom. Now Doc, that's a trick that's really best done with a Rolo - as demonstrated by what Freckles apparently did with that sheet of paper once she'd read it. And now for the toast: To the happy couple, may their happiness be complete, their marriage long and prosperous and every wedding speech they hear be funnier and shorter than mine. To Jack and..." He was going to say Freckles, but instead he changed his mind. "...Kate. To Jack and Kate Shephard."

Everyone raised the glasses and applauded Charlie and Sayid as they left the stage, all clapping Jack on the shoulder as the sat back down, nearly resulting in Jack drowning in his drink. But Sawyer stayed on the stage. "Usually, the groom does his speech before the best men, but someone has only just told me that, so now, ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the groom, the hero of Oceanic 815, Jack Shephard."

Reluctantly, and with an encouraging kiss from Kate, Jack went over to the stage and took up the microphone, thanking Sawyer as he did so.

"Good evening everyone. My wife and I, oh how I've waited to say those words, are delighted that you were able to come to our wedding. I can't imagine a happier way to start married life than with our family and friends around us. Perhaps you have already noticed, but Kate and I have chosen a day to marry that is of real personal significance, December 24th, Christmas Eve. Christmas growing up for Kate was a hard time, as our close friends and family know, so I hope, because of today, she'll finally have a reason to smile when Christmas approaches. I feel very fortunate to be marrying Kate and I didn't want to miss the opportunity of giving her everything she deserved … beautiful flowers and a wonderful white wedding car, so I hope you've all enjoyed the day as much as my credit card company has. All the hard work getting Kate ready for today has been worth it. She looks even more beautiful than she does normally, if that's even possible, and I hope that I will be everything she could ever hope for in a husband. If there is one thing I have learnt from her, it is patience, and today was worth all the waiting. In preparation for this moment, I've been trying hard to come up with something original that would sum up everything that I feel about her, and how much this day means to me. But nothing quite expresses what I wanted to say, so let me keep it old-fashioned and say, in front of all our family and friends: "I love you". One of my official duties in this speech is to thank the bridesmaid, but I would have done so anyway. Shannon, Claire, Sun, Libby, and even Meagen, despite being only ten yaers old, has been a terrific help to Kate, not only today, but throughout the many weeks of intense preparation, and they have both carried out their duties splendidly. We have a gift for you all, but in the meanwhile would you all please raise your glasses in a toast to – the bridesmaids! A big thank you to the ushers; Sayid, Charlie and Sawyer. It was a stipulation for the wedding that the ushers weren't allowed to look better than the bridegroom and I'm pleased to say the have accomplished their role admirably. Cheers guys to an awesome job! You guys and I go way back, and you've always been there for me. When we first lost someone to the island, Sayid was there. When I dislocated my shoulder having been in a cave in, Charlie was there. And strangely enough, when I finally admitted to myself that I was in love with Kate, and got knocked out by a coconut on my way to telling her, Sawyer was there, if only to laugh at me. In fact, come to think about it, guys - you're a jinx! Both Kate and Sam have asked me to mention Kate's mother, Diane, a wonderful friend and mother. For sure, she's looking down on us today, so proud of her little girl. And also, for sure, she wouldn't want any of us to be sad on such a day. Perhaps we can help her to be with us in two ways: first by a quiet moment to remember all the happy times, and then by continuing with this celebration just as she would have wished. To my wife, my bride and joy, thank you for everything you have done. You know everything about me and love me just the same. I have my faults, yet you still agreed to marry me. I am extremely lucky today to be the one to marry you - and I hope this is the start of many happy years together. So I'd like to make one final toast to the new Mrs Kate Austen." Everyone raised their glasses and applauded. "Also, I was hoping that she might also join me for our first married dance now."

Smiling, Jack left the stage and held his hand out to Kate, who accepted it and stood up. Pulling her close, Jack didn't care for the people who were watching them. All he cared about was his wife, his Kate, who was finally his indeed.


	5. On Our Way

Guests were leaving, but Jack and Kate were still dancing. Even though they had gone to so much trouble with the invitations and making sure that all the guests were going to be able to make it as it was Christmas Eve, they newly married couple only had eyes for each other. Occassionally, they would have to hold their dance for a moment, while they said their goodbyes and the kids that were there demanded hugs, but as soon as they had a chance, they were back in each others arms. The others all thought it was quite amusing, seeing Jack so loved up and oblivious to everything else around him, but he would rather be focused entirely on her, then never have seen her at all.

Kate had previously been dancing with him to a faster song, so there was a small gap between them although this song was much slower. Truth be told, he was scared to dance with anyone else seeing as his neices had had a fun time trying to teach him a party dance they had learned, but one that had left him with a lot of bruises on his feet no doubt.

His hand was lying on Kate's waist, and the other holding her hand, whilst her free hand was resting on the top of his arm, clutching it lightly. The gap between them was small, and their bodies were skimming each others playfully as they moved to the music. For the first time that night, Jack found himself humming along to the music that was playing. Seeing Kate's amused and impressed look, he laughed a little, and pulled her as close to him as he possibly could. He continued along with the music, finding that he never knew that he knew all of the words to this song. It was one that he had never really listened carefully to the words before, but it was one that summed up everything he was feeling at that moment.

_Everytime our eyes meet,  
This feeling inside me,  
Is almost more than I can take.  
Baby when you touch me,  
I can feel how much you love me,  
And it just blows me away. _

_I've never been this close to anyone or anything.  
I can hear your thoughts  
I can see your dreams_

It was a song that she had heard before, but she had never heard it so well. Hearing it straight from Jack's mouth made it all the more special, as did the way he was looking down at her as he sung along to it. Here in his arms, she had never felt so wanted, so loved, she just wanted to stay here forever, with him.

_I don't know how you do what you do,  
I'm so in love with you,  
It just keeps getting better.  
I wanna spend the rest of my life  
With you by my side,  
Forever and ever.  
Every little thing that you do,  
Baby I'm amazed by you. _

He knew that every line was true. There was nothing that she did that didn't grasp his full attention, leaving him breathless simply by standing in the same room together. Now they were married, he knew that nothing would ever take them away from each other. They were going to be happy, for once, and it made him happy just to see her with a smile on her face. He was a sucker for her smile.

_The smell of your skin,  
The taste of your kiss,  
The way you whisper in the dark.  
Your hair all around me,  
Baby you surround me,  
You touch every place in my heart.  
Oh it feels like the first time, every time,  
I wanna spend a whole night, in your eyes. _

This song would hold so much more meaning to her from now on, as did every song that Jack did this too. He had the amazing ability to turn something she hated into something she loved. She had hated him once, when she had been kidnapped and he had been so cold to her afterwards, but now, she couldn't imagine life without the infamous Jack Shephard.

_I don't know how you do what you do  
I'm so in love with you,  
It just keeps getting better.  
I wanna spend the rest of my life,  
With you by my side,  
Forever and ever.  
Every little thing that you do,  
Baby I'm amazed by you. _

_Every little thing that you do,  
I'm so in love with you,  
It just keeps getting better.  
I wanna spend the rest of my life,  
With you by my side  
Forever and ever.  
Every little thing that you do,  
Oh, every little thing that you do,  
Baby, I'm amazed by you._

The song finished, and they kissed, for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, but also the first. "You're going to have to stop singing to me, Jack, or I'll expect it more often." She told him teasingly.

"If that's what you want," He told her. "Anything for you."

She smiled, and somehow found a way to bring herself closer to him by wrapping her arms around his neck. "When did you get to be so unimaginally romantic?" She asked him.

He looked at her with such love in his eyes before replying, "When I found out it was you I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

He could always win her over with a simple line, one that held so little words, but so much meaning. He could do so much to her heart that no one had ever done before, but that was only part of the reason she loved him so much.

"Jack?" His sister's voice called over, and they broke their gaze to see Hannah waving them over. "Are you going to give your neice her dance before we go home?" She taunted.

Jack laughed, remembering that he had promised three-month-old Ellie a dance. Hannah came over with the baby, who was suprisingly still awake, having had a long nap during all the speeches and dinner, and placed the girl in her uncle's arms. Keeping one arm around Kate and one firmly around his niece, he balanced Ellie so she was leaning against his chest, her fragile little head resting on his shoulder while she played with the collar of his shirt. Another song began playing in the background, another that he knew surprisingly well, as did Kate, and this time they both sang along, while Ellie lay contently against him, looking up at her uncle and aunt with wide, aweing eyes.

From across the room, Hannah observed with Laura at the dancing couple. Laura was sitting at the table, with Meagan asleep with her head in her lap. Tommy was still running around with Aaron, his new found best friend, taunting Sawyer with the inside of party poppers by rolling them up in a ball and making him a wig out of them. Sawyer, who was by no suprise, extremely drunk, was bending down to help Tommy keep the makeshift coloured wig ontop of his head.

"He's a natural." Laura said, looking at the way Jack handled Hannah's baby daughter. "Surprising how he's so good a father when all he knew from Dad was rejection." She thought aloud.

To lighten the mood a little, Hannah nudged her elder sister in the ribs playfully. "How long do you give it before they're parents themselves?" She said, motioning towards Jack and Kate, who both looked very at home with the tiny figure of Ellie with them.

"Not long." Laura predicted. "A few months, maybe. Won't it be good for them if they have two reasons to love Christmas for now on?"

"A wedding and a baby?" Hannah asked, contemplating the idea in her head, almost plotting. "Could happen."

"He'll be a brilliant father."

There was silence for a moment before Hannah said quietly. "He already is a brilliant father, he just hasn't got his child yet."

When the song ended again, Kate laughed a little.

"What?" Jack asked. "I don't sound _that _bad, do I?"

"Not that." She assured him, and nodded downwards. "Ellie."

Jack looked down and saw that the rythmic swaying to the music seemed to have sent Ellie into a deep sleep. Where they had stopped moving, he could feel the tiny movements of her chest as she breathed slowly in and out against him. She looked like a little angel as she slept, and Jack pressed a light kiss on the top of her head.

"You're a natural with her," Kate said softly.

"That's because she's my little niece and she loves her uncle." He said with a proud grin on his face.

"I've yet to meet a kid who doesn't love you." She reminded him.

"The only ones I care about loving me are Tommy, Meagen, Ellie, Aaron and Charlotte, and the ones that we'll have one day." He said confidently.

Kate smiled challengingly. "And how many do you plan on having?" She asked playfully, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, judging on my plans for tonight, at least twelve, maybe more." He said back, equally playfully, but trying to sound deadly serious. They both laughed, but then quietened, remembering that Ellie was still sleeping soundly between them. "Everyone's leaving." Jack pointed out, noticing that some people were helping to clear up.

"Maybe we should too." Kate suggested, reading his mind.

"Better get this little one back to her Mom then." Together they walked over to Hannah and Laura, and handed back Ellie to Hannah. "Fast asleep." He told her.

"How do you do it?" She asked. "I've been trying to get her to sleep for an hour!"

"Magic touch." He said. "Anyway, we're off to the hotel, we've got a plane to catch in the morning."

"All set for the honeymoon I take it?" Laura asked.

They had the honeymoon all booked and ready for Paris, two weeks of paradise, undisturbed by anyone or anything. "All packed and ready to go."

"Ring me when you get in then." Laura said, repeating the line that he usually said to her whenever she went away. "Then I know you haven't crashed again."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence guys."

He kissed his sisters on the cheek, and went with Kate to say goodbye to the guys, who didn't have anything to say to them that wasn't suggesting or obscene; obviously the presence of Tommy and Aaron, didn't sway their comments to be any cleaner. After saying all their goodbyes, they called a cab, and went to the hotel they were staying in, ready for their new lives together.


	6. Pink

Three months passed. The honeymoon was fantastic, with two weeks in Paris that they needed more than anything. They barely left the hotel room, and when they did, the sights of the French city were breathtaking. And most importantly, neither of their plane journeys ended in a crash. They were able to have time to themselves, not wondering what they were going to do that weekend, not worrying about work and money, simply just being together, and loving every second of it.

One morning back home, Kate awoke to find Jack playing with the ends of her hair, curling them around his fingers before releasing it and doing the same again. He sat for hours doing it sometimes when she slept.

"Morning." She greeted, her voice think with sleeping.

He kissed her in reply. "Good morning to you too." He said softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Her stomach groaned, not out of hunger, but it caused an odd stirring which brought an ill expression over her face. This didn't escape Jack's notice.

"Kate?" He asked, "What's the matter?"

The strange sensation seemed to intensify, and she quickly rushed out of bed. Her head span from standing up too quickly, but she managed to reach the bathroom opposite their bed before she collapsed on the floor and vomited into the toilet. Jack pulled on his jeans from the previous day and gathered her bathrobe from the side of the bed where she had left it, and was at her side in seconds. When he found her vomiting, he knelt on the floor beside her, and threaded his fingers through her hair, keeping it out of her way as she leaned forward against the toilet bowl.

After throwing up the contents of her stomach, she sat back against Jack's bare chest, and he let her ruffled hair fall back to her shoulders. He turned to the sink beside them and filled a perfectly placed cup with water and handed it to her. "You all right?" He asked as she sipped from the cup, and he slipped the robe around her shoulders as she began to shake from the sudden body temperature drop she felt.

She shrugged. "I think so." She answered, slightly confused." I didn't feel ill until a few minutes ago."

"Maybe you ate something bad last night," Jack suggested, unable to think of any other reason. She hadn't been drunk last night, so it wasn't a hangover.

"Maybe." She partially agreed. "Unless...no." Then she repeated it, stronger. "No."

"What?" Jack asked.

She shook her head, almost nervously. "Nothing. It's nothing." She took a longer drink and then looked at the floor.

"Kate," Jack said with an easing smile. "Don't try the 'nothing' trick with me. I can see right through it now."

She smirked at him. "You know me too well."

"That's what comes from spending so much time together on a deserted island." He reached out an took her hand, running his thumb across the wedding ring upon her finger. "So?"

"So what?" She asked.

"What was this 'unless' all about?"

She looked around the room uncertainly. "I'm not certain, so don't get your hopes up again." She told him first.

"Again?" Jack asked.

"Jack, my period was due two weeks ago." She said suddenly. "and the month before completely skipped, so I'm about six weeks late now."

Jack's eyebrows almost shot through the ceiling, had she not been feeling the same way, she probably would have laughed.

"Everything's been crazy at the moment at work, so it could be down to stress. But now I've been ill a couple of times, and there's definitely something different in my mind. I'm thinking differently, if that makes sense." She looked up at him. "I think I might be pregnant."

* * *

That afternoon, Jack and Kate sat side by side on the bed. She had been to buy the test that morning, and they had waited until Jack's mother had left after lunch to do it. It was the longest three minutes of their lives. They had left the test on the bedside table to Kate's right, not wanting to even see a peek of it until it was clear. Now the pair were sitting nervously together. Immediately after they had sat down, Kate had found his hand and gripped it tightly.

"This is it." She said anxiously. "Scared."

"Terrified." He replied with a smile.

"Has it been three minutes yet?" She asked him.

He shook his head without looking at his watch. "Nowhere near." He said, Kate sighed. "It's weird." He continued. "For the past month, we might have been parents, and we haven't known it.

Kate thought this over. She had hoped from the day her first period didn't arrive that she was pregnant, yet her and Jack had had too many let downs now for her to be excited more than scared. The first time, was on the island, she had stolen the last remaining test from Sawyer's luggage. It had been positive, and three weeks later, she had lost the baby, sending her through a breakdown in which she almost gave up all together. The second, third, and fourth times had all been negative.

"You know," She said, with a glimmer of hope spreading over her face. "I think we might do it this time."

"Me too." He agreed. He placed his free hand over their clasped ones and gripped them tightly. They sat in silence for a while, and then after a while, Jack looked at his watch. "It's time." He told her softly.

She took a deep breath, and reached over to the bedside table, picking up the test in her hands. She closed her eyes as she held it before her, and then pushed it towards him. "No, I can't do it. You look."

"You look." He said, shaking his head.

"You do it. I can't bear to look at another negative one."

"Neither can I." They looked at each other. "We'll do it together." Jack said.

Kate nodded, and together, they looked down at the pregnancy test. She let out a choked laugh.

"It's pink." She said with a smile, her hand coming over her mouth. "Jack…it's pink. It's pink." She repeated over and over again.

"It's pink." He said, with his own smile.

"We did it, Jack!" Kate cried, throwing her arms around his neck as his hands came around to her waist. "We're gonna have a baby!"


End file.
